Enhanced Fujita scale damage indicators and degrees of damage, chapter 15


Elementary Schools (ES)

Typical Construction:

  • Typically one storey with flat roofs; CMU bearing walls with brick veneer, stucco or EIFS cladding; walls can have a large percentage of window glass
  • Building may contain a small gym or cafeteria with moderately long spans between supports
  • Buildings have long interior hallways with bearing or non-bearing walls
  • BUR, single-ply membrane or metal standing seam roof panels; metal or plywood roof decking supporting rigid insulation boards or a lightweight poured gypsum deck
  • Roof structure consists of open web steel joists bearing on exterior walls and steel interior girders; exterior non-bearing walls constructed with CMUs, glass curtain walls or metal studs with brick veneer, stucco or EIFS cladding
Table 15. Degree of Damage (DOD) for Expected (EXP), Lower Bound (LB) and Upper Bound (UB)
DOD Damage Description EXP* LB* UB*
1 Threshold of visible damage 105 75 130
2 Loss of roof covering (less than 20%) 125 105 160
3 Broken windows 140 115 170
4 Exterior door failures 160 135 190
5 Uplift of some roof decking; significant loss of roofing material (more than 20%); loss of rooftop HVAC 165 130 195
6 Damage to or loss of wall cladding 175 150 205
7 Uplift or collapse of roof structure 200 175 240
8 Collapse of non-bearing walls 225 190 260
9 Collapse of load-bearing walls 245 210 290
10 Total destruction of a large section of or entire building 285 245 325

*All wind speeds in km/h

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